Zardozi Volunteer Members helped Ali Chopan people to have asphalted roads

Jan 19

This winter, the Kadars, our volunteer members, have given us another opportunity to appreciate their work. They have once again helped their community to solve problems which otherwise would have been difficult without an influential person’s support and a collective effort of the village women.

Recently, in a far-fetched district of Mazara-e-Sharif, a group of women discussed some of the difficulties they face in their society. They complained about damaged streets in one of the Manbeh meetings. These meetings are usually used for problem solving sessions as well. The rough and bumpy streets in the Ali Chopan District of Mazar-e-Sharif had made public transportation difficult during the winter season.

The local people have lived with this problem for two winters but there has not been any government attention. The issue was finally brought up by the male leaders of the community. In order to accelerate the process, the men suggested channeling this issue through their women to Zardozi Volunteer Members. “The local people trust that we can do something, therefore they bring most of their problems to us,” said one of the Kadars.

Fatima, a beneficiary of Zardozi programs said, “Kadars provided literacy classes to us. They also spoke with the government to construct the main road and build a clinic for us. We were sure they will be able to help us again.”

With the right network and expertise, Kadars brought up this issue to Citizen Charter in Mazar-e-Sharif. The Citizen Charter agreed to cover the cost by 70% and asked for 30% contribution from the people, which meant 10,000 AFN per each house. Because the poverty rate was high among the community members, they could not pay all at once.

They proposed the possibility of four installments over an agreed period of time. The Kadars went to the Citizen Charter with the proposal and they have started the road construction based on the agreement. Today, 50% of the job has been completed while 50% more will be constructed in the start of spring.

Mohammad Saleem, who is a resident of Ali Chopan, gave thanks to the Kadars. He acknowledged their services for the society and showed complete support for Zardozi’s work in the district.

Who are Kadars?

Kadars are Zardozi’s volunteer members who perform as Communication Bridge between Zardozi and Nisfe-Jahan’s offices.

They are involved in the implementation of Zardozi’s programs, services and activities in the four regions.

Zardozi provide several capacity building trainings including business administration to the Kadars in order to prepare them to become the building blocks of their societies and help community members particularly women to engage in civic activities.

Currently Zardozi has four to five Volunteer Members in each region it operates.